Chapter 26
“Brother, where did you go? Sob.”
“Brother, I missed you so much!”
“Didn’t you want to see us?”
“Brother…”
I stepped back and watched the happy reunion for a moment.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Lirian apologized to the children.
“But… why have you grown so much, brother?”
“Yeah, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Brother, brother… are you going to live with us now?”
“Brother… you’re going to live with us, right?”
Every time Lirian spoke, each child chimed in with their own words, making it a little chaotic.
But Lirian looked each child in the eye and answered them.
‘He must have really missed them.’
Choosing to follow me instead of staying with the children he had wanted to see so much—thinking that brought a warm feeling to me and made me want to treat Lirian even better.
“I’m sorry. I can’t live with you here.”
“Why?”
“Brother, do you dislike us?”
“Does that mean we can’t play with you anymore?”
Ah… just as I expected, that reaction came from the children.
No wonder Lirian had tried to keep his distance from them…
“I’m sorry. But I’ll come to see you as often as I can.”
“No! Come live with us.”
“I want to live with you too, brother…”
“Stop it, you guys. You’re making him feel bad.”
The child who had first recognized Lirian scolded the others to stop.
“But…”
“Brother…”
Noticing Lirian’s discomfort, the children gradually quieted down.
They didn’t know what to do and were watching him cautiously.
Seeing that, I felt a mix of pity and concern for the children.
So instead of letting the moment pass, I stepped in between them and spoke.
“Alright, kids. Brother Number 5 here has become a knight. Do you know what a knight is?”
“Yes, we know.”
“We know.”
“Well, being a knight means a lot of training. You wake up in the morning to train, train at lunch, and train again before bed.”
I tried to explain carefully at the children’s eye level.
“Being a knight is really hard?”
“Yes. That’s how you become a cool and admirable knight.”
“Wow, Brother Number 5 must work so hard.”
“You’re amazing, brother.”
“And because a knight has to stay somewhere else, not here, that’s why Brother Number 5 can’t live with you right now.”
Perhaps because of their life experiences, the children were clever and quick to understand.
They immediately exchanged glances, silently sharing what they realized.
“You really will come visit often…?”
“Brother, promise us you’ll come see us.”
Then they shifted their focus and tried to get Lirian to promise as well.
“I’ll come often. I promise.”
Lirian bent down slightly to look at the children, who were smaller than him, as he answered.
“Promise!”
The black-haired child, who had been teary-eyed earlier, squinted his eyes tightly on purpose, trying not to cry anymore.
“Okay, got it.”
I smiled with relief. It was good that the children weren’t hurt and that the situation ended well.
A little later, the children gathered around Lirian and began asking him questions.
As expected, they were just kids.
The earlier tension seemed forgotten; the mood was cheerful and lively.
I just watched the children from the side.
“Oh, we have names now, brother!”
“Names?”
“Yes. I’m no longer Number 3; I’m Lucy. Lucy!”
It suited the cute, lovely child perfectly.
“Me too! I got a name!”
“Me too!”
Each child proudly told Lirian their new name.
Seeing how happy they were made me smile without even realizing it.
“So, let’s see… Lucy, Noah, Adrian, and Dominic, right?”
I joined the conversation for a bit, since I had nothing else to do.
“Yes! That’s right!”
“Brother Number 5 also has a name now.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Lirian. His name is Lirian.”
“Wow, that’s a beautiful name.”
“Right? Now, shall we all greet each other again?”
Although they had already met, I suggested they reintroduce themselves, and the children looked at me, confused.
“Hello! I’m Belita. Nice to meet you.”
I faced the children and held out my hand.
Seeing them hesitate, I held Lirian’s hand and explained to them.
“When you meet someone for the first time, you introduce yourself and shake hands. Who wants to go first?”
“I’ll go first! Me first!”
“Me too!”
“I’m Lucy!”
Lucy grabbed my hand first.
“I’m Adrian.”
The blue curly-haired boy, who had recognized Lirian first, came next.
“I’m Noah!”
Then the soft-spoken black-haired boy, who had been on the verge of tears earlier, shook my hand.
“I’m… Dominic.”
Finally, the quiet blond boy hesitated, unsure, so I gently took his small hand.
“Nice to meet you, Dominic. Now, let’s do Lirian’s turn.”
Lirian and the children introduced themselves to each other.
Watching this, I couldn’t hide my delight.
These were children who had been identified only by numbers… and now they had names.
I knew exactly what that meant, and it was deeply touching.
“Sis! Sis, does that mean brother is a knight who protects you?”
Adrian asked me.
“Yes, that’s right. He’s my knight.”
“Wow! That’s amazing! I want to be a knight too! I’ll protect you too, sis!”
Adrian was so cute that I gently patted his head.
“Eat well and sleep well, and when you grow as big as your brother, you can join the knight order.”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“Then I’ll eat this much from today and sleep for a long time too!”
Adrian exaggeratedly drew a circle with his arms.
“Okay. Is that your promise from today?”
“Yes! Promise!”
“Sis, I want to be a knight too.”
While Adrian was linking pinkies with me, Noah suddenly joined in.
“Yeah, I promise too.”
“Me too!”
“…Me too.”
Before I realized it, I had promised with Lucy and Dominic as well.
Time passed quickly as I talked with the children.
The sky had begun to turn red with the approaching sunset.
“Alright, now we have to go. Next time, I’ll bring you wonderful gifts. Until then, take care of yourselves, okay?”
“Gifts?!”
“Wow, gifts!”
The children’s excitement at the word “gifts” drowned out everything else.
As expected, they were still just kids.
“Sis, you have to come next time.”
“Yes. You take care, eat well, and play with your friends, alright?”
“Yes!”
After this lively meeting, Lirian and I finally left the orphanage.
Before leaving the village completely, I stopped the carriage.
I stepped out and looked around at the village.
Having visited the children, the village felt warm and familiar, as if I had always lived there.
“Miss?”
Lirian stepped down from the carriage and approached me.
I looked at him for a moment before speaking.
“Lirian, how was today?”
“…It was good.”
“Wasn’t it nice to meet the children?”
“Yes. Thank you, Miss.”
I hadn’t planned on meeting the children from the start, but the outcome was very positive.
